Dystopian Utopia
by H20loo
Summary: After the Great Destruction, civilization has rebuilt itself into a society of thinkers, a virtual utopia for the educated.But,utopia is never as it seems, and the infamous Ice Queen has made it her mission to destroy it. Will she succeed, or will too many obstacles like her unwanted ginger Apprentice cause her to lose the battle that she has to win to survive? [Elsanna,No incest]
1. Utopia Sucks

A/N: Hi, and thank you for clicking on my story. Most of the characters that will appear in this story belong to Disney, and this is done strictly for fun not profit. One of them does belong to me, but she won't be showing up for a while. :) Also, this story will present several different same-sex relationships, so if that isn't your thing, then this isn't your story. It will eventually be Elsanna, but not incestuous as the story will explain. I think that's it, and again, thanks for reading.

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A shadowy figure slipped down the hallway unnoticed by myriad security cameras that always guarded the passage. This in and of itself was an accomplishment, because the saboteur had some of the palest skin that existed and she was usually easy to spot in a darkened hallway. But, when the Ice Queen didn't want to be detected, she was never detected, and even the most sophisticated cameras in the State wouldn't be able to find her.

Her real name was Elsa, but that was an artifact of a different life, when she was just a Proletariat child happy in her family's meager existence. Her father had been a fisherman, her mother a seamstress, but they had provided her with happy, stable home that had allowed her to become the woman that she was. She would have been happy to remain Proletariat forever, doing whatever manual labor the Test said she was best suited for, but that was not how life worked in the State. If you tested Plebian, and due to her high intelligence, Elsa had been expected to test Plebian practically from the moment she left the womb, then you had to leave the Proletariat behind. You _had_ to become a Plebe; there simply was no other choice. "Well, that wasn't exactly true," Elsa mused. "You could always be executed in front of your family," she thought bitterly.

The bitter thoughts ended when she reached the panel that was her mission for this particular evening. She had to focus; otherwise it would be a mess, not be the elegant sabotage that she prided herself on. She closed her eyes briefly, concentrating her powers of cryokinesis into both of her index fingers rather than in her whole hands. She then used those fingers to decimate the panel, rendering it inoperable in seconds. The alarms blared, but the door the panel guarded slid open, and Elsa slipped into the room. There before her stood the power supply for everything within a 20 mile radius. She smirked and used both of her hands to drive an ice spike about two feet in diameter right through its center, killing the power source immediately. The alarms stopped, the lights shut off, and knowing the doors would no longer work, Elsa froze a part of the back wall, causing it to crumble and open a hole just big enough for her to slip through.

It was easy to make it back to her quarters in the chaos she had created, and she slipped into the relative safety of her rooms, pleased with her success. She froze her clothes off of her and slipped them into the incinerator; by destroying them two ways, she could be guarantee no DNA evidence would be there to implicate her. She retrieved and replaced her biometrics chip and communications cuff so that she was back on the grid and then fell exhaustedly into bed. Within seconds, a thud landed on her bed, started purring and curled up next to her. "Good night, Olaf," she said affectionately, stroking his long white fur as she drifted off to sleep.

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The alarm in her communications cuff blared and Elsa groaned as she slowly came back to consciousness. The late nights followed by early mornings were probably the things she liked least about sabotaging things. Her room was dimly lit by emergency lighting, meaning they hadn't managed to fix what she had destroyed last night, so her spirits improved as she headed off to the shower. The water was cold, so she showered quickly, washing only the essentials before jumping out. Her uniform was a dark blue blazer and pants accented by a white blouse. All in the Architecture thread wore this uniform, but Elsa was self-aware enough to know how good it looked on her. She didn't need to see well to be able to put up her hair, and it was in its impeccable bun within minutes. Satisfied, she put some food down for Olaf, grabbed her satchel and manually opened the door, walking out into the dormitory hallway. She closed the door and started walking towards the double doors revealing both the approaching sunrise and the way out to the Campus.

Even though she hated practically everything about the State, Elsa had to admit they had done a good job with the Campus. It was built according to the Eight Pillars of Wisdom that now ruled the State, and it was divided into two parts: North Campus and South Campus. The North Campus held the dormitories, where all of the plebes assigned to Campus lived, as well as the buildings that housed the Four Pillars of Art. They had modeled this part of it after the universities that had abounded before the Great Destruction, and stately brick buildings were interspersed amongst tall trees, green grass and open spaces. South Campus housed the Four Pillars of Science and so was modeled after the hospitals and skyscrapers of the previous age to give a sense of scientific progress and its hopeful, gleaming future. Architecture straddled the line between the Arts and Sciences, but it officially belonged to the Pillar of Mathematics. Thus Architecture was housed in a window-filled steel and chrome building that was just barely across the border between North and South Campus.

Elsa walked up to the building's front entrance. There was more security than usual, owing to the power outage, but as soon as they saw her, the guards lowered their heads respectfully and allowed her entrance. Elsa sighed, pleased and annoyed all at once. This was the bitter irony of her existence: she was the archetypical Plebe, a former Proletariat who had taken the Test when she was eighteen as was the law and had revealed herself to be extraordinary, and thus worthy of being plucked from the unwashed masses to become Plebian, one of the elite of society. She was given the best of everything and she had used it, rising through the Apprentice and Thinker ranks faster than anyone else in the history of the State and claiming the coveted Master title before her 20th birthday. Even her beloved cat was a symbol of her power; pets were not allowed for most, as they took away valuable resources, but the ruling Patricians could bestow them as recognition that this Citizen was the model for all other Citizens to aspire to. Olaf had been given to her the day she had achieved Master, a tiny white ball of Persian fur that she had fallen in love with immediately, but he was still a status symbol. She had a life that practically everyone else in the State would have loved to have.

Looking at the floors upon floors of steps that she had to climb because the elevators were out, she blew a short breath and began to climb. Yes, she had an enviable life, but, she was deeply unhappy, and using her powers to become the Ice Queen had been born as a way to rebel against her perfect life. It hadn't taken Elsa long to figure out that, while she enjoyed power, she wanted freedom far more, and life as a Plebe was far from free. The Test had determined her aptitude was architecture and that was where she had been placed and that was where she would work until she was no longer fit for service. At her induction, she had been fitted with a biometrics chip and a communications cuff, and though she had been able to figure out how to use her powers to remove them, when she did have them on, they told the Interface everything about her condition and her location. She was never going to be married, nor allowed a permanent relationship, and she was going to have one child in exactly four years' time. All Plebian women were artificially inseminated at 25; they carried the child to term, were anesthetized during delivery, and when they woke up, their child was gone, never to be seen by their mother, whisked away to become the next generation of Plebes.

The thought of her child being taken away from her triggered a primal surge of rage in Elsa that threatened to unleash enough power to encase the stairwell she was climbing in solid ice. But, her powers had been in the family for generations, she had been taught to embrace and control them, and there was no way that she would do something so stupid as to expose them no matter how emotional she became. She took a breath and resumed her climb, her thoughts turning again to companionship and children. Her parents' marriage hadn't been perfect, but it had worked, and she loved being part of a family. A sibling would have been nice, but no one in the State, be they Patrician, Plebe or Proletariat, was allowed more than one child unless the pregnancy naturally had multiple births. When she was very little, she had always wanted a family for her grown-up self, and even as she grew up and realized her Plebian destiny, the desire to find a nice girl to settle down with to nurture their one child never really went way. This desire was why she had eschewed any and all personal relationships from the moment she had gotten here. Yes, she was surrounded by the most beautiful and smartest women that the State had to offer, but there was no point in even trying due to the circumstances, which was why "Ice Queen" was such a perfect moniker for her in more ways than one.

Her long climb and her ruminations finally finished, she opened the door to the hallway and made her way to her office suite. Her assistant looked up quickly as the door opened and stood up instantly. "I have gotten all materials that you require with the power out, Master," he said respectfully, bowing.

"Very good, Assistant," Elsa replied, pleased with his efficiency. "Are there any messages or other things that require my attention?"

"A new class of Plebeians has been chosen, Master," he replied, "And one of them has tested into Architecture. She has been sent here to become your Apprentice."

Elsa blinked in mild surprise. It was one of her duties as a Master to have Apprentices, but she was never assigned one because of her talent, status and reputation for preferring to work alone. "When is she set to arrive?" she asked, wondering how much time she had to prepare for this unexpected development.

"She is already here, Master," her Assistant replied. "She is waiting in the outer office."

Elsa frowned. "I will tell you when to send her in," she said curtly, annoyed with this new development.

"Of course, Master," her Assistant replied. Elsa nodded and walked to her personal office door. She manually slid it open, walked through and slid it shut, putting her satchel down in its usual place. She sat at her desk, noting the pencils, paper and battery-operated tablet sitting there. She used the tablet to access her new Apprentice's file.

She was eighteen, as most new Apprentices were, and was Plebian by birth. She had passed the Test and had maintained her Plebian status, but her school records indicated that she was not the best of students and had likely passed on natural talent rather than by hard work. She had scored high both in the Visual Arts Pillar and in the Mathematics Pillar and the calculations deemed her an Architect. Satisfied that she at least knew the basics, she contacted her Assistant. "Please escort her in," she ordered. Her Assistant answered in the affirmative and within seconds her door slid open. A young woman with reddish hair and freckles entered and stood nervously in front of Elsa's desk.

"She's terrified, "Elsa internally decided, noting the general twitchiness of her body and the fear in her blue-green eyes. Those eyes held something else, though, and after a moment's reflection, Elsa realized it was hope. "What is your designation, Plebian?" she asked formally as this was their first introduction.

The girl brightened at being spoken to. "I'm Anna," she said, a smile coming easily to her face.


	2. First Day

A/N: Just wanted to thank everyone again for reading and reiterate that these characters don't belong to me.

Chapter 2 – First Day

As soon as the words left her mouth, Anna felt her face grow hot, and if she wasn't about to die from embarrassment already, she probably would have gone running from the room. Introducing yourself to your Master with anything but your official designation was a serious breach of protocol, and from the way the expression on the beautiful face of her Master darkened, Anna knew her egregious error was not going to be overlooked. "_By the Pillars, I wish that I had a verbal filter sometimes_," she thought morosely. Her Master started to speak, and Anna tensed, expecting the worst and knowing she deserved it, especially with this being their first introduction.

"Yes, well, perhaps you were in the past," Elsa stated sharply, "but that kind of designation is never appropriate in _any_ public forum in this stage of your career. When being spoken to within our Thread, you will only introduce yourself as 'Apprentice' and only answer to 'Apprentice'. Outside of our Thread, your designations are either 'Plebian' or 'Architect'. You will only ever address me formally as 'Master', and in less formal situations, you may substitute 'Ma'am'. Should you fail to do any of these things again, you will be formally reprimanded. If this is a recurring problem, you will be removed from my tutelage. Is this quite clear, Apprentice?"

Anna stayed silent for a moment, processing the reprimand and being reminded of her Master's widespread reputation for being ice cold with everyone. Even the room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees under her disapproval. "Well, the rumors hadn't been far off," she decided internally. "Yes, Master; I'm sorry," she said aloud contritely, her face falling even as she tried to remain stoic.

At her Apprentice's crestfallen face, Elsa's conscience poked her and she felt the tiniest bit bad that she had caused her new Apprentice to feel bad. But, being who she was, she was never going to let that dismay show, even if it did cause her to relax her authoritarian tone a bit. "Don't ever be sorry," she stated in an even, almost conversational voice. "Learn from your mistakes, don't repeat them, but never apologize." Anna looked up from where she had been studying her black shoes, surprised at the shift in tone. "Now, it's time for your first assignment," Elsa stated, glad that her Apprentice's demeanor was becoming gradually more cheerful. "Sit," she ordered, indicating one of the chairs that stood behind her drafting table. Anna did as she was told, and Elsa retrieved the pencils and paper from her desk, setting them before the Apprentice. "You have ten minutes to draw your favorite building. Your time starts now," Elsa said, setting the timer in her cuff. Anna looked at her briefly like she wanted to say something, but then thought better of it and set to work.

Elsa studied her new Apprentice as she worked, noting the concentration on her face and the swift, natural movements of her sketching. Her Apprentice had been drawing for a while, Elsa decided, and she was good at it. Ten minutes passed by quickly and the cuff started to chime. Anna put down her pencils and handed the paper over.

The first thing that Elsa noticed was that there were four drawings, not one. "I thought I specified that you should draw your _favorite_ building," she admonished.

Anna fidgeted nervously. "Yes, you did, um, Master, but I couldn't decide-I never can actually-, so I just went with four that are most remarkable to me," she explained.

Elsa sighed, a bit annoyed that her directions were not followed, but slightly impressed that her Apprentice had produced four quality sketches in ten minutes. In the upper left quadrant, she had drawn a multi-tiered house with flat, clean lines surrounded by a brick wall. In the upper right, she had drawn a magnificent palace surrounded by gardens. In the lower left, she had drawn a municipal building with a comprised of a tall tower with a flat-roofed building at its base. Lastly in the right bottom corner, she had drawn a geodesic sphere supported by four stone stanchions buried into the ground. "These buildings all existed before the Great Destruction," Elsa noted, recognizing all of them. "Is there nothing modern that you like?"

"There are some very pretty buildings, especially here on Campus," Anna allowed, "but, these, I don't know, these have always represented something special to me."

"Like?" Elsa prompted.

Anna frowned, thinking, and then pointed at the brick house. "I love this one because it was so forward thinking. Its design looked like something that was decades older. And I loved the central fireplace; it was a home, and the fireplace where everyone could gather made it feel like one," she said. Anna then pointed at the palace. "I just like this one because it's magnificent," she said, with an embarrassed grin.

"What about the other two? Why do you like those?" Elsa asked, entering her Apprentice's answers down on her tablet.

"They represent hope," Anna said simply before continuing on with the explanation. "If you take the time periods they were built in, there was a sense of optimism about the future and these buildings represented that optimism. One was the city hall of a growing metropolis that would soon become the envy of the nation. The other housed a vision of a gleaming tomorrow where mankind worked together to communicate and solve humanity's problems."

"But those glistening futures either did not happen or turned into utter failures," Elsa countered.

"True," Anna admitted, "but for me, there is something about past hope that inspires me to have future hope."

Elsa looked at her, amazed that anyone Plebian-born would have that much natural optimism. "You have an interesting outlook on life, Apprentice," she stated.

Anna shrugged, a grin coming to her face. "So I've been told time and time again, Master," she replied cheerfully.

Elsa looked at her speculatively, but didn't comment further. She closed the program she was using and opened another, as the tablet was their only option when the power was out. "This is the main drafting program we use," she explained, giving the tablet to her Apprentice and drawing up a chair to sit just behind her and peer over her shoulder.

Anna took the tablet and tried to remain still, even as every nerve ending in her left shoulder was alerting her to her Master's closeness. This was the mythical Hell, she decided after just a few minutes. There was one of the most beautiful and intelligent women in the State draped over her, talking in a low murmur in her ear, but it was about architecture and the woman in question was her Master. The universe was mocking her; Anna could just sense it.

"Are you even listening to me, Apprentice?" Elsa demanded, and Anna jumped.

"Um, yes, of course, Master," she said quickly.

"Then what did I just say?" Elsa queried.

"Uh, you were saying that the tablet version of the software isn't as fully functional as the desktop version, but since the Ice Queen killed the power last night, it's the best thing that we have and we should try to make do," Anna recited, thankful that she always half-listened and that her power of recall was unparalleled.

"I never mentioned the Ice Queen," Elsa answered, surprised that her Apprentice had gotten it mostly right. She had seemed a million miles away.

"Well, yeah, but the power box was killed by a huge spike of ice," Anna replied. "Who else would it have been?"

"It's not our job to speculate," Elsa said primly. "We are Architects. Well, you will be if I can manage to train you." Anna looked at her, not quite sure whether she should be offended or not. Elsa ignored her and retrieved the drawing she had asked her Apprentice to make. "The first thing you will need to learn is how to use our software. I want you to make 3D exterior models and basic but workable blueprints everything that you drew," she instructed.

"For everything?" Anna echoed, dismayed. "All four of them?"

"Yes," Elsa replied.

"That's going to be a lot of work," Anna pointed out.

"Well, then, perhaps you should have listened to me and drawn one building instead of four," Elsa retorted. "Get to work, please."

"Yes, Master," Anna said with just a hint of attitude.

"_Do not_ take that tone with me, Apprentice," Elsa stated. "Now get to work."

Anna held back her retort for once and set out to work, knowing that she was not making a very good impression and wanting to correct that. It soon became apparent, though, that five minutes of terse directions given as she was highly distracted had not been enough to use the program and she was stuck. Mindful that she had already committed a severe breach of protocol, had ignored her Master's instructions and then had given her Master attitude when given another instruction, she timidly went to ask for help, hoping her Master would actually give her some guidance after her impertinence.

Elsa wasn't surprised when her Apprentice slid slowly out the chair and meekly came towards her with the tablet in hand after only a few minutes of fiddling with the program. She hadn't given her Apprentice nearly enough information to run the program properly and the program wasn't intuitive enough to figure out on its own. "Did you need something, Apprentice?" she inquired.

"I have reached an impasse in the completion of my assignment," Anna said formally. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I can't get the stupid program to let me draw a doorway," she clarified.

Elsa nodded, and Anna could have sworn a ghost of a smirk graced her features before it disappeared. "Sit," she ordered, indicating the chair by her desk and Anna obeyed. Elsa dug through her desk and finally came up with the notebook she had been searching for. She handed it and a pen to Anna. "I'll take you through the whole process for one of your buildings," she said, "And you need to write notes and actually listen to what I am saying. Then it will be up to you to do the other three."

"Thank you, Master," Anna said, honestly grateful that her Master didn't appear to be all that angry and that she was giving Anna yet another chance.

"You're welcome," Elsa replied sincerely, appreciative of the gratitude. "Now, let's start with the house."

They worked all morning and afternoon together, and as the sun began to set behind the western mountains, their only light source began to fade with it. Power had still not been restored, and without it, it would soon grow too dark to do anything useful. Anna watched the encroaching darkness and hoped it meant the end of the work day. Her Master was a machine, powering through everything without any regard for food, breaks or any other personal necessities, and Anna was exhausted. She really just wanted to get something to eat and collapse onto the couch in her quarters.

Elsa also noted the diminishing light. Much to her delight, the power was still out, so it would get prohibitively dark in her office soon. The tablet was also about out of battery power and her Apprentice was obviously exhausted, so Elsa took pity on her and decided to call it a day, pleased with the progress that had been made. "I think that is enough for the first day, Apprentice," she stated, saving their work and closing the program. Anna breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, wincing when stiffened muscles were forced to move. Elsa glanced at her cuff as she rose and stretched herself. She needed to give herself enough time to prepare for her Apprentice's Initiation tonight, especially since no one had bothered to tell her she was getting a new Apprentice. "I'll expect you at my quarters exactly two hours from now," she said, rolling her shoulders to stretch them out.

Anna stared at Elsa blankly for a few moments, her mind trying frantically to figure out why she would need to be at her Master's quarters in two hours. A few inappropriate ideas ran through her head, and it wasn't unheard of for the Master/Apprentice relationship to involve sex, but her Master just didn't seem the type. Not that Anna would have minded if her Master was that type, she mused before realizing what she was thinking and being scandalized by it. Apparently her fatigue was working against her and her thoughts were betraying her. "Yes, Master," she replied quickly, still not understanding, but noticing her Master was looking at her expecting an answer.

Elsa nodded. "Good. You agreed to something without knowing what you are agreeing to for the first time today. That is what an Apprentice should do and I'm glad to see you are improving," she said, enjoying her Apprentice's shocked and slightly embarrassed face.

Anna watched as her Master gathered up her things, her pride still stinging that her Master had read her so easily and her mind still working on why she needed to be at her Master's quarters in two hours. After thinking it through, she realized it might be some sort of initiation into the Thread. During Induction, she had heard that most Threads had informal initiation ceremonies, and it made sense that Architecture might be one of them. That was her best idea, she decided, and then blushed when she thought of what she had thought of first. She had sullied her Master's invitation with impure thoughts when her Master was only following tradition and doing her duty. At least she hadn't said anything out loud for once, and so there was something to be grateful about, she grumbled to herself.

Although Elsa seemed like she was completely involved with getting ready to go, she had been surreptitiously watching her Apprentice the entire time. Whether she knew it or not, the girl had a very expressive face and Elsa had watched as several emotions played across her features. She had initially been confused, but then had an idea she had discarded before settling on another idea why she had been told to go to her Master's quarters. Then she had been embarrassed that she had the first idea. Elsa filed the information away for future use and manually opened her door. "Two hours, Apprentice," she reiterated and walked out the door without looking back.

Anna watched her go, tried not to stare at the sashaying hips and failed miserably. When she snapped out of it, she realized she had to get moving, and her fatigue disappeared in her excitement. She had to get ready and courtesy probably demanded that she bring a gift, so she would have to go shopping. She really hoped that her Master's public file had some information about her likes and dislikes.

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About one and half hours later, Elsa's communication cuff chimed as she was putting the finishing touches on her Apprentice's Initiation. It wasn't going to be formal; Architecture Thread tradition was that the new Master invited the new Apprentice somewhere so that the traditional gifts could be given, they could get to know one another better, and the professional relationship could start off on the right foot. Some Masters went all out and it was a party that lasted for days. Others, like Elsa's own, simply invited her over to dinner and gave her the gifts. Elsa had appreciated the simplicity and her Initiation was one of the few moments of Plebian life that she had actually enjoyed. That was why she wanted to do the same for her Apprentice, who, when she glanced down at her cuff, was the person who happened to be calling.

"Master?" the message read. Apparently her Apprentice had not been brave enough to call and had decided on text.

"Yes, Apprentice?" Elsa texted back.

"What should I wear?" came the typed question.

It was a fair question, Elsa mused. She hadn't given her Apprentice much information about tonight. "Whatever is nice looking but comfortable," she replied. "Tonight is not formal."

"Ok. Thank you, Master!" the text read, and even with typed words Elsa could hear her Apprentice's cheerful tone. She sighed. This Apprentice thing was going to be tough for her. She was so used to working alone, so used to being the Ice Queen that having a constantly overly enthusiastic optimist in her presence was going to be a significant challenge. But, Elsa thought, she owed it to the girl to do her very best as a Master. That meant teaching her, nurturing her and supporting her, even when Elsa wasn't comfortable with it. Elsa might be a cynical, rebellious saboteur, but her Apprentice was still a bright-eyed kid, and Elsa would never be the one to take the light out of her eyes.

Exactly two hours later, Anna stood before a shiny metal door that the public record claimed was her Master's quarters. The public records had also confirmed her hypothesis that this was probably some sort of initiation ceremony, which had been helpful, but had yielded little in the way of her Master's personal details, which was not. There had been one unique thing mentioned though, and Anna had seized upon it, ransacking the shops still open even in a power outage until she had found what she thought was the perfect gift. That gift was now nestled in the box that sat in her hands, a box that she kept fiddling with because of her nervousness.

She stood there awkwardly, not knowing if the door would sense her and chime if the power was out. She thought about knocking, but the metal door was thick, she didn't know how effective the knocking would be and her Master could easily ignore or overlook it. Realizing her thoughts were going a million meters a second in a million different directions, she took a calming breath. She had always been energetic, some would say hyperactive, but her Master flustered her and made it worse than usual. She decided to knock, but before she could, the door slid open of its own accord.

"Good Evening, Apprentice," Elsa said, and Anna noted that she had changed out of her Architecture uniform into black jeans and an ice-blue turtleneck. Her white-blond hair had also been taken out of its bun and was in a loose braid slung over her left shoulder. Most strikingly, her feet were bare and Anna briefly had a hard time reconciling this casualness with the rigid Master she had been working with for most of the day.

"Good Evening, Master," she replied, bowing just a little.

"Please come in," Elsa invited, moving out of the doorway.

Anna stepped in, her eyes sweeping around at the emergency-lighting lit space. Elsa noted it. Her Apprentice's nervous energy has dissipated throughout the day, but now it was back with a vengeance, and Elsa couldn't help see how she was bouncing the package she had brought between her hands. "Welcome to my living space," she said, hoping she sounded friendly and welcoming so the girl would calm down. "Have you guessed why you're here yet?"

"Initiation?" Anna answered hopefully.

"Good guess," Elsa replied and Anna was happy she had figured it out. "Is that for me?" Elsa asked, indicating the box. Anna's fidgeting was making her irritated and she asked mainly so she could get the box away from her Apprentice.

"No. Yes. Maybe?" Anna stuttered, surprised by the abrupt question. Her Master simply looked at her and waited for more explanation. Anna handed her the box. "It's, um, for your cat," she explained.

"My cat," Elsa repeated, looking at the box in her hands.

"Yeah, your cat," Anna replied, nodding. "It was the only thing unique I could find out about you and I wanted to get you something unique to impress you because I messed up pretty badly today and…wait, is that him?" she asked suddenly.

Elsa turned around to look where her Apprentice's focus had been drawn. "That's him," she confirmed. "His name is Olaf," she explained, turning around to face her Apprentice only to be met with empty air. Her Apprentice was now crouched on the ground, trying to get a better look at the rare pet.

"He's beautiful," Anna said softly, and a childlike wonder and joy spread across her face that was difficult to miss.

"_She's never seen a real cat before_," Elsa realized, and it made her a little sad. "Would you like to meet him?" she asked gently.

"Really? I can actually pet him?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Of course," Elsa answered. "He might be a little shy because he's only used to me, but he is always up for a good ear scratch. Go have a seat on the couch." Anna did as she was told, her eyes never leaving the cat, and Elsa came to sit beside her, setting her Apprentice's gift on the table as she did so. Elsa then patted the couch between her and her Apprentice. "Olaf, come say hello," she requested. The cat studied them both, wanting to go see his human but being wary of the other human. Curiosity and the temptation of an ear scratch won out over caution, though, and Olaf slowly made his way to the couch. He took one last brief look at Anna before jumping up on the couch where Elsa's hand was patting. "Good boy," she complimented him as she scratched his ears.

He started purring in contentment, and Anna finally grew brave enough to try to pet him. She reached out her hand and Elsa withdrew hers, allowing Anna to have Olaf's full attention. He looked at her and she timidly held out her hand. He sniffed her fingers and he must have decided she smelled okay because he used her fingers to scratch his chin. Anna grinned and slowly moved her fingers around to his behind his ears, scratching gently. The purring started in earnest, and after she added a couple of head-to-tail fur smoothings, Anna found herself with a lap of happily cuddling Persian cat. Anna looked at her Master, delighted in his affection, and asked a question. "So where did 'Olaf' come from?" she asked, her hands still stroking his soft fur.

"Well, an old family legend says that there was a magical, living snowman named Olaf that liked warm hugs," Elsa replied, leaving out the part that her ancestor had created him for self-preservation reasons. "This guy was snow white when I got him, and he has always liked warm hugs, so the name just seemed to fit."

"It does," Anna agreed. She looked up from the cat to her Master, and, true to form, said the first thing that came to her mind. "You know, Master, if you weren't the ultimate Proletariat-to-Plebian success story that everyone knows about, and all I knew of you was our time at the office today, I would have never guessed that you were ever Proletariat," she commented. "But then I come here, you're dressed in jeans and barefoot, you're sharing your awesome cat and you're talking about your family legends like I'm a friend not your Apprentice. It's kind of a weird switch," she said.

"A good Master does more than teach and reprimand; I am also supposed to nurture and support," Elsa replied, hoping the simple explanation would be enough.

"I guess," Anna allowed. She grew pensive and Elsa knew another question was brewing. "I know this question is going to be way out of line, but you're being so nice to me I am going to risk it," Anna stated. "What was it like having a family?" she asked plaintively.

That was not the question Elsa had been expecting, but it was asked so earnestly that her heart completely melted and she knew she had to answer it. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and then spoke. "I loved my family very much, and I still miss them every day," she replied honestly. "My mom and dad weren't perfect and neither was our family, but I knew that they loved me and they would do whatever they could to protect me. With the kind of precocious child that I was, everyone, including my mom and dad, knew I was going to become a Plebe. It didn't make it hurt any less when we had to say goodbye though." She looked at her Apprentice, who was looking at her sadly in sympathy. "But, I did have my family and I am grateful for that," she concluded, deciding to change gears before she revealed anymore of herself that she didn't want to. "What about you?" she asked her Apprentice. "What was it like growing up Plebian?"

"Lonely," Anna answered promptly. "Very, very lonely. Sure, I had my friends at school and in the dormitories, but it wasn't the same as having a family to go home to. And I really hated being number 6561."

"Is that how 'Anna' came to be?" Elsa asked. "I figured you had given it to yourself because Plebian children aren't given names."

"Yeah," Anna said with a self-effacing grin. "As soon as I learned to read and found out there were real names I wanted one. One of the first books I read all the way through had a character named Anna that I loved, so I decided that's who I wanted to be."

"I bet that didn't go over well at school," Elsa predicted.

"No, no it didn't," Anna confirmed. "It took a couple of days, but I soon learned that my new name would have to be something that I kept to myself."

"What happened this morning?" Elsa inquired.

Anna blushed. "You made me nervous and it just slipped out," she replied honestly.

"I figured it was first morning jitters," Elsa replied, that same ghost of a smirk that Anna had seen earlier on her face. "Speaking of which, should we start the Initiation?"

"Um, sure," Anna replied, enjoying the conversation and the cat so much she had almost forgotten why she was here.

Elsa got up from the couch and retrieved her gifts, which, after reluctantly putting Olaf down, Anna opened one by one as Elsa sat back down on the couch. In the first box was a slide rule. In the second was a notebook filled with quadrille paper. In the third was a well-crafted mechanical pencil. All were simple gifts and all were obsolete technology unlikely to be used, but as symbols of their profession, they made the perfect gift. "I love them," Anna gushed sincerely, looking at each one in turn before putting them carefully back into their boxes. "Are you going to open yours?" she asked, indicating the box on the table before them.

"I thought it was Olaf's," Elsa countered good-naturedly, but picked up the box. She opened it, and inside was a small rubber ball that had a bell inside of it and a small cloth mouse. She took out the ball and shook it to make it jingle, causing Olaf to snap to attention. She threw it, and the cat went racing off after it. It wasn't long before a chorus of jingles could be heard traveling around Elsa's quarters. "Well, he's going to be busy for a while," Elsa commented. She looked over at her Apprentice, thought about all they had talked about, and decided to cross an unspoken line. "Come on, Anna; It's time for dinner," she ordered genially, getting up from the couch and moving into the dining area.

Anna started to get up but then froze on the couch when she realized what she had been called. "Wait…what?" she asked perplexed.

"Dinner," Elsa repeated, purposely ignoring the real question.

"I got that," Anna said exasperatedly. "But you called me 'Anna'."

"Our relationship is supposed to be one of mutual respect, Anna. I can show you that respect by calling you what you preferred to be called when I can. I just apologize that you can only be 'Anna' only when it's the two of us and only when we are in a private space," Elsa explained, meaning every word even though she knew it was going to cause her nothing but trouble.

Anna took that in and then got up from the couch. She crossed the floor in a couple of steps and enveloped her Master in a warm hug before the other woman knew what was happening. "Thank you, Master," she whispered.

Elsa awkwardly returned the hug, not used to touching people or having others invade her personal space. "Um, you're welcome," she replied, gingerly patting Anna on the back, hoping the girl would let go soon. Much to her relief, Anna did and they went into the kitchen

Dinner was pleasant; both women kept the conversation light and Anna found out that her Master was an excellent cook. Sporadic jingles could be heard coming from various rooms, and Anna found herself happier than she had been for a very long time. She was enjoying herself so much that she deeply resented the chimes of the clock that eventually insisted that she say goodbye, go home and get some sleep. Elsa noticed Anna's fatigue. "I am not kicking you out, but you should really go back to your quarters and get some rest, Anna," Elsa admonished.

"Yeah, I should," Anna agreed reluctantly. She got up from the couch they had migrated to after dinner, gathered up her Initiation gifts and stretched a bit before heading to the door. "I had a really great time," she said sincerely and gratefully. Good night, Master."

Wincing at the formality of her title after such a congenial evening, Elsa looked at Anna's happy, expressive face, sighed internally and took the last step over the line into utter stupidity and potential destruction. "My real name is Elsa," she said quietly, surrendering to the reality that she wanted to be friends with this girl.

Anna's smile was dazzling. "It is very nice to meet you, Elsa," she said, her voice giddy with her happiness at this unexpected gift. She was going to say more but was interrupted by faint jingles and a loud crash. "I'm sorry," she said automatically, knowing it was her gift that caused it.

"It's okay," Elsa assured her. "He's gets away with everything around here because I coddle him too much. It was really sweet of you to think of him, though."

Once again, Anna's mouth kicked in before her mind could catch up and tell her to stop. "Well they do say that the way to a woman's heart is through her pussy…" she jokingly began and Elsa's eyebrow rose. "…cat. Her cat," she finished quickly. Now bright red and completely embarrassed, she pushed opened the door. "If you don't see me at work tomorrow, it's because I have died of embarrassment," she sighed. "Good night, Master," she said again before slipping out into the darkened hallway.

Elsa watched her go, wondering what in the hell she had gotten herself into as her face spread out in a wry grin and actual laughter bubbled from her chest for the first time in forever. Still chuckling, she called for her cat. "Come on, Olaf; it's time for bed," she said, the smile still on her face.


	3. Inconvenient Truths

A/N: Sorry for the long break, but my real job was very busy this last month. I am on vacation for a while so I hope to do better. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3 – Inconvenient Truths

Elsa smirked as she left a trail of reddish marks on Anna's pale neck, knowing Anna would have to wear the turtleneck with her uniform suit for the next couple of days. Anna whimpered and Elsa reached for the buttons on Anna's uniform blouse, opening the buttons one by one until an expanse of pale, yet freckled skin lay out before her. She moved downward, taking her time, tasting every bit of the skin, and Anna whimpered again, wanting her to go faster. The smirk returned, and Elsa reached for the fastenings to Anna's bra, only to be stopped when her communicator cuff chimed loudly, waking her up instantly.

Elsa sat up in bed, her heart racing from her abrupt awakening as well as the subject of her dream. She took a breath to calm herself and then slumped back on the pillows. "The Pillars damn it," she muttered, "these dreams are becoming far too frequent." She used her power to cool herself down, chastising herself even as she wished the cuff hadn't woken her up.

This was the danger she had foreseen when she had decided she wanted to become friends with her Apprentice; that she would actually like her and that like would evolve into something more. At work, they were still Master and Apprentice, and Elsa's cold rigidity and Anna's awkward bumbling had not changed much. But after work, more and more often, they could be found in each other's quarters, having dinner, talking and to Elsa's dismay, becoming closer and closer. The speed at which they had become best friends had surprised them both; being completely opposite in personality and background, there didn't seem to be much common ground on which to start a friendship. But Anna was a talker, Elsa was a listener and this provided the perfect dynamic for them to become almost inseparable outside of work. And, even though she mostly listened, Elsa found herself revealing more and more, and if something didn't change soon, she was going to put herself in real danger.

Elsa sighed and got up from bed, still thinking. A part of her wanted to surrender to what she felt for Anna, knowing that Anna would be more than happy to further their relationship. Anna had never been difficult for Elsa to read, and it was clear to Elsa that Anna was falling for her as fast as she had fallen for Anna. They would have to find a way to make it work, though; Plebes were not allowed to be in romantic relationships and were separated and punished for it. But even still, there were couples that managed to evade detection. Elsa knew they could be one of those couples, especially since they already had a pre-existing relationship.

But was that fair to Anna, she thought as she stepped into the shower. Even if Anna was okay with a forbidden relationship, there was still Elsa's other life that had to be considered. Elsa was good, maybe even the best at what she did when she was the Ice Queen, but she was realistic enough to know that the State was going to catch her eventually. She was one person going against a vast bureaucracy and they had resources that she couldn't even dream about. She would stumble, they would pounce, and then it was all over. She would be outed as an Extraordinary, one of those non-human _things_ that had caused the Great Destruction. This fact, and her crimes, would mean her death, and Anna would have to live through it all. Elsa could hardly see how it would be fair to ask that of Anna.

Her other option would be to give Anna the choice, she realized. Elsa could tell Anna who she really was, and then let Anna decide if she wanted to be with her. But that thought terrified Elsa for two reasons. One, Anna might be horrified, reject her and turn her in, and two, in an even worse scenario, Anna might be willing to support her and then she would sentence Anna to death by making her guilty by association. Elsa sighed again as she finished getting ready, knowing there were no easy answers. Her cuff chimed, and she looked down. "Coffee?" it read.

"Please," she replied, her heart warming a little at Anna's usual thoughtfulness as she headed out the door.

Anna smiled at the simple response as she looked down at her communicator cuff. There was no order, no other information, just a please. Yeah, it was just coffee, she thought, but it made her happy to know that she knew Elsa well enough now to know what her coffee order would be. Knowing anything about her reticent Master was an accomplishment; Anna knew it and she treasured the friendship that allowed her to know so much about a person that few people knew anything about. She should be happy with that friendship, she mused as her front door closed and she headed towards the coffee shop. But, she knew that she wasn't. She wanted more, so much more, which was why she always texted in the morning and never called. If she called, then she might see an imperfect Elsa, an Elsa that still had mussed hair and sleep in her eyes, an Elsa that she was desperate to know. Anna wanted so badly to see the imperfect Elsa, wanted so badly to be the one to wake up beside of her, naked, not naked; it didn't matter. The intimacy, the love, was what Anna had craved all of her life, and she was so close to it, but it remained out of her grasp. She couldn't torture herself by seeing what she was missing, so hence she texted, never called.

Anna gave the cashier their drink orders, paid and went to the other side to wait for their drinks. It wouldn't be so frustrating, she mused, if there weren't such tantalizing hints that Elsa felt the same way. It wasn't often, but there were times that Anna could have sworn that she saw a look or felt a touch, but when she looked again, it was gone and the friendly yet guarded Elsa was back. Anna had no idea what Elsa was hiding, but Anna wanted to make her Master see that she had nothing to fear. Anna didn't care that they would be breaking the rules. She had friends, the Chef and the Actress in particular, who had been in a relationship for years and has managed not to get separated. Anna knew that if those two could manage it, she and Elsa could. The drinks came up and Anna put them in a carrier, her good humor returning at the thought of being with Elsa. Maybe, just maybe, today would be the day that something would change and her Master would surprise her.

Elsa looked up as the door opened and her Apprentice came in with a welcome tray of caffeinated beverages. "Good Morning, Master," Anna said cheerfully as she tugged the cup out of the tray and set it on Elsa's desk.

"Good Morning, Apprentice," Elsa replied, taking the cup and sipping the hot, super sweet liquid. She liked no milk but a lot of sugar in her coffee, and Anna had made it perfectly. "Thank you," she said, raising the cup in salute.

"It's no problem; you know that, Master," Anna said sincerely.

"And it's no problem for me to thank you," Elsa countered good-naturedly. She brought out her tablet and looked at their to-do list. "We need the final plans for the off-Campus construction site printed by 5:00PM today. Groundbreaking is next week and the Patricians want to review them," she stated, and Anna typed it into her tablet. "If you get done with that, you also have the molecular biology building plans that you need to check the calculations on, and…" here Elsa paused, fixing Anna with a glare that made Anna redden in embarrassment, "…I still don't have any 3D models for any of your Initiation buildings. You have put that off far too long, Apprentice," she concluded sternly.

"I'm still building them, Master," Anna offered lamely.

"What, with matchsticks and glue?" Elsa challenged facetiously. "That project should have been done weeks ago and you know it."

"Yes, Master," Anna replied, torn between snickering at her Master's sarcasm and being chastened by her tone. "I'll get to work," she said. Elsa nodded and they both set to work, easily moving into the familiar rhythm that defined most of their days now.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Anna stretched and glanced at the clock, surprised when it read 5:30PM. She had finished printing the plans for the off-Campus building about an hour and a half ago and had handed them off to her Master, who in turn had scrutinized them and sent them off with the Office Assistant to be delivered to the Patricians at the Great Hall. She had been working on her building calculations ever since, but with her Philosophy Club meeting looming, she needed to get going now that the pressing work had been finished. She opened her mouth to ask permission from her Master to leave, but before she could say anything, Elsa spoke.

"Don't you need to get going, Apprentice?" she asked, never looking away from her computer screen. "I thought tonight was Philosophy Club."

"It is, Master," Anna answered. "May I have permission to leave?"

"Of course," Elsa replied. "I'll see you in the morning, Apprentice."

"Thank you, Master," Anna replied happily. She gathered up her things. "Good evening, Master," she said, waiting by the door. Elsa looked up from her computer, and her wry grin and shooing hand gesture made Anna's grin widen as she bounced out the door.

Elsa watched her go, and the smile grew wistful. Anna loved Philosophy Club, and from what Elsa had heard (and she had heard a lot), it was due to the fact that it was primarily made up of the Plebian children-now young adults-that Anna had grown up with in the dormitories. They added and lost a few new members each year as former Proletariats became Plebian and former Plebes failed the Test and became Proletariat, but the core group remained the same. Besides, Anna, as friendly as she was, loved the new additions almost as much as her oldest friends. The club was one of the few things, besides the traitorous Olaf, that Elsa knew for a fact Anna adored, so Elsa always knew when it was meeting and always made sure Anna was available to go.

That also meant Elsa was free tonight, as there would be no Apprentice showing up semi-unexpectedly at her door, so she had planned for the Ice Queen's return. The Ice Queen's movements had to be random; Security was trained to pick up on any patterns, so she was constantly varying everything about her attacks. The days were never the same; she never bought the clothes for her missions in any regular pattern and she used unremarkable pieces of clothing; and, probably, most importantly, she never accessed the blueprints for buildings she was targeting unless her office was working on something directly related to it. She had been planning for a while and had meticulously planned three separate sabotages; so tonight, she had her choice of three things to destroy: the data servers, the communications grid or the camera system.

The data servers would be her first choice; they were the easiest to access and the easiest to destroy. However, they were also the item with most redundancy, meaning that whatever was contained on them had multiple backups at off-Campus locations, so the real damage would be negligible. The destruction of the communications grid would render the cuffs inoperable and make tracking everyone impossible, but again, it would only be for a short time as the redundant systems would kick in and everything would be back to normal. The only real thing to be gained from either of these missions would be the pride at having done them.

That left those fucking cameras, Elsa thought. The cameras were everywhere outside; there was literally nowhere outdoors on Campus that you could not be seen by one of them. The inside was almost as bad, but the State swore that private quarters were just that, private, and that there were no cameras in anyone's quarters. The only reason that Elsa believed them was because she often displayed her powers in her quarters and she hadn't been arrested yet. Elsa let out a short sigh, thinking. The cameras seemed to be her best option, and the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. With the cameras gone and security unable to track her, she could give the Campus a real taste of the scope of her powers, out in the open, where usually even she couldn't avoid camera detection. Meaningful destruction of State property and a vivid display of her talents would be powerful messages to send.

Satisfied with her plans, Elsa gathered up her things and got ready to leave. As always, she would have to wait until dark, so until then, she would follow her normal, Anna-less routine. She left the office and went to the Marketplace for food, randomly picking one of the myriad selections. She was handed something in a bag, she paid and she left, walking back to her quarters and sighing in relief when the door slid shut behind her.

Olaf bounded into the room at the sound of the door and jumped up on the couch back. He looked at Elsa as she went into the kitchen to put down her food, took an interested sniff towards the bag and then promptly turned his attentions back towards the door. "She's not coming tonight, so you can stop looking," Elsa told him, as she set out the cartons and got out a plate. Olaf glanced over at the sound of her voice and then looked back towards the door. Elsa sighed in amused frustration as she portioned out her dinner. "You're _my_ cat; you know that right?" she asked wryly, bringing her now full plate over to couch and sitting down. Olaf jumped down to the cushions, and curled up beside her, finally convinced that his other favorite human wasn't coming. Elsa scratched his ears and he started purring. "It's okay, puffball," she said, turning her attention to her dinner, "I miss her when she's not here too."

She flipped on her tablet and read as she ate, gathering whatever information the State saw fit to give them that day. The light faded from outside her windows as she did so, and about the time she was done with her food and her reading, it had disappeared entirely. She rose from the couch and went into the kitchen, cleaning up her plate and her leftovers before heading off into her bedroom to get ready.

Of all the ways that she had to prepare for her missions, getting rid of her implanted biometrics chip was always what took the most concentration. She closed her eyes and stood perfectly still in the center of her bedroom, focusing all of her mental effort into finding the small dead piece of silicon that did not belong amongst the vibrantly living cells of her body. This part had taken hours the first time she had done this, but now, she knew where it was and the process went much quicker. She found it, and encased it in a very thin layer of ice to protect it from the body systems that it would have to travel through. Then, with utmost care, she used a small puff of frost to dislodge it. When it was free, she continued using the puffs to guide it to the lymph system, whose slightly larger ducting system allowed the chip to move.

Once in the lymphatic system, she used the frost to guide it upwards, past the vein it was supposed to drain into and towards her tonsils. Once there, a few more puffs, a slight gag, and the chip was lying on her tongue. She opened her mouth, picked it up and thawed out the ice that surrounded it. She went to her dresser, where a special box of her own design waited, a box that would fool the chip into thinking that it was still nestled in her body. Compared to the chip, the communications and tracking cuff was easy. A thin layer of ice underneath it expanded it enough for Elsa to get her hand through without opening it, as opening it triggered its alarm, and she slipped it off, placing it in beside the chip box on her dresser.

Elsa took a deep breath, savoring the rare moment of being truly free. She had no chip to send her vitals to the State computer, no cuff to tell the State where she was. She could go anywhere and do anything and it was exhilarating. But, it was temporary; she knew it and the exhilaration faded. If she was gone too long, they would look for her. When they couldn't find her, they would find anyone she was close to and execute them as an example. It was this knowledge that made her slip into her Ice Queen clothes, remove the grate above the bed in her bedroom and use the vents and tunnels she knew so well to make her way towards sabotage instead of freedom.

Elsa dropped down into the control center for the camera system, noting with irony that there were no cameras in here. Rock-hard ice balls projected at the backs of the technicians' heads knocked them out without a sound, and Elsa was left alone to do what she wanted. She iced up all of the panels, causing them to crack open with a satisfying snap before conjuring a small blizzard to drive circuit-frying snow into the farthest recesses of the equipment. With wires popping, snapping and sparking all around her, she coaxed several of her ice spikes into existence, driving each one into critical areas like switches and data storage centers. Everything in the room went black as all of the equipment died a rapid death, and with a smirk, Elsa disappeared back up the vent.

Now was the time in her missions where Elsa usually scurried back to her quarters, avoiding the inside cameras with a skillful precision that was breathtaking. Tonight, though, she had other plans, using her vent to find passage to the outside. She kicked off the outer cover and emerged, standing before the building that she had just done irreparable damage to. It was much too plain, she decided, and summoned her powers to provide some embellishments. After a few minutes, she was pleased with her success and stepped back to admire her handiwork. It was beautiful, all high arches and icy spires decorated with inlaid snowflake patterns.

Elsa smiled, but then frowned as she looked down into her hands. Yes, the structure was impressive and it would send the message she wanted to send. But, Elsa realized, she didn't want to waste her talents on the State. She didn't want to give them anything beautiful, even if it was as a rebellious message. If she were honest with herself, there was only one person she wanted to create beauty for. Elsa looked up at the structure and debated destroying it, but decided it would take too much time. She needed to talk to someone, and to do that she needed her cuff, meaning needed to get back to her quarters as soon as possible.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Anna traipsed along the path from the Library that led back to the Plebian quarters, happy and slightly irritated all at once. She loved going to Philosophy Club, but tonight they had gotten little-to-no philosophizing done because all of the other members, Debutante and Blondie especially, had been too busy teasing her. The teasing had started because Anna had not done any of the preparation that she was supposed to have done for the Club and she hadn't been doing it for quite a while. Anna blamed distraction and busyness at work, but the other girls, knowing how Anna felt about her Master and how much time they were spending together, blamed something else entirely. Anna had turned bright red and denied it, but of course that had given her away and the teasing had become relentless. It had all been in good fun, but Anna was still slightly red and still slightly embarrassed even as she walked home.

Thoughts of the meeting made her thoughts turn to her Master, and Anna glanced at her cuff, seeing if it was too late to text and say good night. It wasn't, so Anna pushed the button and texted Elsa, waiting for the reply that always came back promptly. It didn't come though, so Anna sent it again, thinking she might have made a mistake. There was still no response, so Anna reluctantly called, her concern about Elsa's unusual silence overriding her dislike of calling her. It rang several times and then went to voicemail, disquieting Anna even more.

Anna continued walking, trying to convince herself that Elsa was fine. Maybe her Master just had a date or something, she reasoned. Finding that thought did nothing to help her mood, Anna tried calling once more and still got no answer. Having reached her destination, Anna paced outside of her building for a couple of seconds before turning around and heading towards Elsa's building. She was acting like a stalker, and her Master might get mad at her, but Anna couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Anna checked in with the guard, who knew her and waved her through with a smile. She waved back and hopped in the elevator, bouncing from foot to foot in her impatience. The elevator door dinged and Anna exited, practically running down the hallway to Elsa's door. She rang the bell and waited, but several long moments passed and there was no kind of sound from the inside. Anna tried calling again, and this time, she could hear what had to be Elsa's cuff chiming from somewhere behind the door. Now too freaked out to think of any explanations that didn't involve Elsa incapacitated on the floor, Anna punched the access code Elsa had given her for emergencies into the panel and the door slid obediently open.

"Elsa?" Anna questioned loudly. "I'm sorry, but you weren't answering your cuff, and I was worried, and I guess I had to see that you were all right," she said in a rush to the darkened room, growing more worried when there was no answer. A noise rustled behind her and she turned quickly, only to see Olaf at her feet. "Hey sweetie," Anna said, relieved to see someone. He rubbed against her leg, and she reached down to stroke him. "Where's your mommy?" she asked rhetorically, standing up.

Well, it was clear Elsa wasn't in here, Anna thought and she went down the hall peeking in every room until she came into the bedroom. Elsa wasn't in there either, but Anna's eyes grew wide when she saw the cuff that was lying on the dresser. Your cuff was put on you the day you became Plebian and it was supposed to stay on you until the day you were cremated. Anna had never heard of anyone successfully taking it off, and if Elsa wasn't wearing hers, the implications were as mind-blowing as the consequences were staggering. She went over and gingerly picked it up, checking for her messages to confirm this cuff belonged to her Master. They were there, and Anna robotically put it back on the dresser as her mind tried to process what she had found and what it might be telling her about her beloved Elsa.

A noise sounded from above her head, and Anna jumped back, startled out of her reverie. Olaf, who had soundlessly joined her, jumped back too, and she stumbled over him, trying to find a place to hide from whatever it was, her mind still spinning from her discovery and her thoughts not resembling anything like coherence. The walk-in closet was the closest and easiest thing, so she dashed into it, trying to get her thoughts under control.

Anna took a deep breath to calm herself, and in doing so, inhaled the unmistakable scent of Elsa that clung to the clothes in her closet. Amazingly, especially considering it was her Master who had caused her panic, the scent calmed Anna considerably and she simply sat there for a few moments, letting the anxiety ebb out of her. Feeling much better if perhaps a little foolish, she stood up to return to the bedroom when a vent on the ceiling popped open and her Master dropped soundlessly from it on to the floor in her bedroom.

Even though she was in a hurry, Elsa would not jeopardize herself by being stupid. She froze her clothes off as she usually did, making sure that every fiber was obliterated by ice particles before she gathered up the rags and deposited them down the incinerator chute. She walked to her dresser and retrieved her chip, swallowing it and sending it on its frosty journey back to where it belonged. Once it was back in place, she reached for her cuff and frowned in concern when she saw the number of messages from Anna. She expanded it enough to get her hand through and slipped it back on, typing a message to her Apprentice as soon as it was in its prescribed spot on her wrist.

Anna nearly tumbled right out of the closet when she felt her arm buzz. She had only begun to calm down when Elsa had dropped out of the roof, and the sight of Elsa's clothes disappearing into a heap leaving her clad only in her underwear had not helped. Anna had tried so very hard not to stare; now was so not the time considering she had come into her Master's quarters uninvited, she had found something she was not supposed to find, and she was hiding in her Master's closet like a stalkery creeper. But the Pillars help her, reality was so much better than her imagination that she couldn't look away, and it was only the vibration on her wrist that startled her enough to snap her out of it. She shook her head and looked down.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier, Apprentice," it read. "My cuff was on silent and I fell asleep on the couch. I didn't mean to worry you."

Anna, seeing Elsa's face and knowing the last part was sincere even if the first part was a lie, typed back. "It's okay, Master," she replied. "You don't have to answer to me. I just thought I would say goodnight."

Anna's reply made Elsa pause. Even though it was typed, it seemed more pointed and melancholy than was typical for Anna. Or, maybe she was just stressed and overthinking it, her logical side pointed out. Elsa sighed, taking one last moment to ponder her decision before committing to it entirely. She typed a message and went to her dresser to get herself some clothes.

From her place in the closet, Anna saw the indecision and looked down curiously when the message came through. "Are you tired?" the cuff read. "Would you be willing to meet me at the off-Campus construction site in about half an hour? I have something that I need to show you and talk to you about."

Anna didn't hesitate. "Of course, Master," she typed back promptly, even though she was still processing and trying to figure out all of the odd things she had witnessed tonight. If Elsa needed her to be there, she was going to be there. It was as simple as that.

Elsa smiled at the quick response, slipping on her clothes and shoes and heading for the door. She hoped a half an hour would be enough. Anna watched her go, and when she was sure Elsa was out of her quarters, Anna left the closet and sat on the bed to think. Anna thought about it all, everything that she had seen tonight and everything that she had learned about Elsa over the months that she had been working with her. Even though she had a reputation for being "distracted", Anna had remained Plebian for a reason, and it took her no time at all to snap all of the pieces together. There was one piece of information that would confirm her hypothesis, though, and she knew exactly who to get it from. She activated her cuff, this time on a secret frequency that couldn't be traced or tracked, a frequency that a select few had access to. "Leader, this is Ginger. Please respond," she requested.

"This is Leader," a disembodied voice replied. "Why are you calling on this frequency, Ginger?"

"I need some sensitive information," Anna stated. "Have there been any incidents reported about possible Ice Queen activity tonight?"

"Intel is coming in that the camera system has been rendered inoperable and the building housing it is surrounded by ice," Leader informed her. "But I heard about it seconds ago. How do you know already?"

Anna nodded. There was the last piece. "I believe I have learned the identity of the Ice Queen, Leader," she said.

There was a long pause. "That isn't funny, Ginger," an annoyed Leader said. "You know we have been trying to locate her for years."

"I know, and that's why I'm telling you that I've finally found her," Anna retorted.

Another long pause ticked by. "Are you in any danger? Do you need assistance in apprehending her?" Leader finally asked.

"If I was in danger, I wouldn't be chatting with you, now would I?" Anna pointed out, cheerfully feisty now that everything made so much sense and was coming together so perfectly. "And, no, I'll bring her in myself. It will be easier that way."

"Okay, but please be careful, Ginger," Leader instructed. "If I haven't heard from you in 8 hours, then I am sending someone after you."

"Understood. Ginger out," Anna replied. She cut off the communication, gave Olaf one last scratch behind the ears and took off for her much-anticipated appointment.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Elsa put the finishing touches on her designs and sat down in the snow to wait. She glanced at her cuff and noticed that it was close to the time she had told Anna to meet her. She couldn't help the stab of fear that coursed through her, and the wind and snow started swirling around her in response. She took a breath and the storm settled. Never in her life had she been this afraid. Fear was her enemy; fear made her weak because she was no longer in control, and Elsa hated not being in control. A familiar redhead crested the slight hill that surrounded the construction site and descended into the hollow that housed it. Elsa sighed and stood up.

Anna looked in awe at all of the beautiful things around her, all of them meticulously sculpted out of ice and snow. There were miniature castles filled with tiny ice people and meadows filled tiny ice deer, rabbits and skunks. There were recognizable buildings too, and Anna laughed in delight when she saw her four Initiation Buildings scattered among them. The miniature geodesic sphere was closest, and it was just about her height. She marveled at the detail and smiled wryly. Now that was a 3D model.

Leaving the sphere to find some open space to see, Anna looked around for Elsa and found her standing a few feet away on the side of the snow-covered hollow, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Anna smiled brightly and Elsa tentatively smiled back. Neither one said a word for a few moments, until Anna broke the silence. "This is all so beautiful, Master," she said sincerely. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't, at least not until today," Elsa admitted.

Anna studied her, and Elsa saw her expression change from thoughtful to hopeful with a touch of the impish. "Well, I'm glad that you did," Anna stated happily. "I guess I just have one question for you, then, Master."

"And what might that be, Apprentice?" Elsa asked with cautious optimism.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Anna asked hopefully.

Elsa laughed, a sound that made Anna warm in spite of the snow. "Only you would ask that, Apprentice," Elsa said affectionately. "But yes, I'd love to."


	4. Unexpected Revelations

A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for reading. :)

Chapter 4 – Unexpected Revelations

Elsa ducked unconcernedly as an errant snowball came flying at her head, and she returned fire without ever looking away from the snowman she was putting the finishing touches on. A loud splat sounded behind her after which Anna spat out a mouthful of snow and wiped her face, grinning. "That was a dumb idea, wasn't it?" she merrily admitted.

"Since I've controlled these powers since I was a toddler and you have the aim of an Apprentice Architect, yes, it wasn't your wisest move," Elsa agreed, smirking as she stepped back from their creation.

"Hey, you're an Architect, too," Anna pointed out, mildly offended at the assessment of her aiming skills.

"Yes, but I'm a _Master_ Architect," Elsa countered, still smirking.

Anna looked at her wryly, debated about continuing the argument and decided she wanted to talk about something else instead. "So, speaking of those powers, how do they work?" she asked, unexpectedly capturing one of Elsa's hands at the wrist and staring at the fingertips interestedly.

"Give that back," Elsa ordered, trying to get her hand away.

Anna playfully held on for dear life. "Nope, not until you tell me how it works," she said jovially stubborn.

Elsa sighed in amused exasperation, feeling the unfamiliar emotion of happiness well up in her chest at Anna's antics. She could hardly believe that things were going so well; Anna, from the moment she had arrived, hadn't skipped a beat. There was no disbelief, no accusations, or fear on Anna's part, just her being her perky, hyperactive self. "Well, to be honest, I am not completely sure," Elsa admitted. "There is a genetic component of some sort, because it runs in the family, but we've all been sequenced and there is no one gene we can trace it to. It must have an epigenetic component as well."

"Thank you, Ms. Evasive, but I didn't ask where they came from. I asked how they work," Anna teased, tugging on Elsa's fingers.

"And again, I don't really know," Elsa answered, impressed that Anna had called her out on her non-answer. "It does have to do a bit with my emotions. If they are out of control for good or bad reasons, then my power can be unpredictable. If my emotions are all under control, then it is just a matter of me willing snow and ice to either come into existence or do what I want it to. I don't know what happens from my mind to my hands."

"Is that how you created everything here?" Anna asked, impressed. "You just thought of it, waved your hands, and boom?"

"Pretty much," Elsa confirmed.

"Wow," Anna said succinctly. She examined the hand some more, but she noticed Elsa getting more uncomfortable the closer her hand moved to certain areas of Anna. "Does something happen if you accidentally freeze parts of me?" Anna asked. "You seem nervous when I have your hand near certain spots."

Elsa nodded. "If I freeze here…" she began, laying two fingers on Anna's forehead, "…or here…" she continued, placing her hand over Anna's heart, "…then you would grow colder and colder until you froze completely from the inside out, turning into an incredibly detailed ice sculpture."

Anna grew wide. "Well, okay then. I will try to avoid that if possible," she decided. "It would be a horrible, yet beautiful way to die, though," she mused.

Elsa studied her, not knowing what that statement signified. She took a deep breath and asked the question she had wanted to since Anna crested the hill. "Are you really okay with all of this?" she asked tentatively.

Anna looked at her curiously. "All of what?" she questioned.

"This," Elsa replied, taking her hand back from Anna and gesturing to the frozen wonderland around them. "And this," she continued, flicking her wrists and making snow appear above her palms.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Anna asked, looking a bit puzzled by the question.

"Because of who it makes me?" Elsa offered.

Anna's brow contracted briefly in thought before relaxing, and her eyes visibly warmed when she looked at Elsa. "Your powers don't 'make' you anything different, at least not to me," she said, meaning it with all of her heart. "You are already so many different people. You're a Plebe, one of the most exceptional that ever lived, according to the State; you're a Master Architect, one of the most brilliant ever seen according to everyone in our Thread; you're the Untouchable that nobody is able to get close to, according to everyone on Campus. Now it seems I have to add your being an Extraordinary with ice powers and a Saboteur to the list. But all those titles don't mean a thing to me, because apart from all of that, you are _Elsa_, and Elsa is the only person that I care about."

"But how can you know who Elsa is when I'm not sure I know myself?" Elsa challenged quietly.

"Because I see her every day," Anna answered matter-of-factly. "I see her when she patiently explains something for the thousandth time. I see her when she throws a jingle ball into a pristine living space and laughs when her cat knocks something over, just because she loves him that much. I see her when even in the midst of a huge deadline, she manages to know my schedule better than I do myself and makes sure I can go to my Philosophy Club meetings. And I know I see her each and every time she calls me Anna, because Elsa is the only person who ever does that without me asking. She knows how much it means to me, and that's good enough for her." Anna reached out her hands and gently took Elsa's, trying to pick her words carefully for once. She needed to say one last thing, and she didn't want to mess it up. "I love _you_, Elsa, which I think you knew, but beyond that, I'm i_n_ love with you, too, which knowing how well you read me, you probably knew too, so I don't care if you become Patrician or obliterate the Oligarchy, I'm still going to see you as Elsa and I will still love you. Probably until the end of time, or something close, because I'm kind of stubborn when I need to be," Anna finished in a rush, hoping she hadn't just completely messed things up.

Elsa looked at Anna's expressive face, searching for any sign of deceit or trickery. There was nothing to be found except honesty, though, and Elsa let herself start believing that this might all be real. She opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, and said something else instead. "Would you like to help me remove the snow?" she asked.

Anna blinked. Those weren't exactly the words she had been expecting to come out of Elsa's mouth. "Um, sure?" she replied, "but do we really have to destroy it? It's so pretty."

"We are both wearing our cuffs and the State will know we've been here," Elsa explained. "If we leave it, they'll find us both almost immediately."

Anna didn't like it, but she knew Elsa was right. "You're right," she said reluctantly. "How do we remove it?"

"There are a couple of ways," Elsa responded. "But with what you just told me, this is probably the fastest." She guided Anna's hands to the back of her neck and slipped her own around Anna's slender waist, drawing them closer than they had ever been. Before Anna could comment, Elsa closed the distance between them and brought her lips to Anna's, smirking slightly at Anna's squeak of surprise. As Anna melted into Elsa and the kiss deepened, the snow and ice all around them started to rise, travelling further up in the atmosphere and gathering itself into a large, embellished snowflake. Only when the last of the snow, frost and ice was gone did the snowflake dissipate, and only then did Elsa gently pull away from Anna.

As their kiss slowly ended and Anna came back to reality, a random question popped out of her mouth of its own accord. "_Kissing_ makes the snow go away?" she asked incredulously, looking around at the now bare construction site in a bit of a kiss-induced haze.

"No. _Love_ makes the snow go away," Elsa corrected. "Kissing is just the outward physical manifestation of it."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Anna responded, nodding, before really hearing what Elsa had said. "Wait…what?"

"Love makes the snow and ice go away," Elsa repeated softly, her eyes never leaving Anna's.

"Then that means…" Anna prompted with a small smile on her face.

"…that I am in love with you, too," Elsa confirmed, returning the smile, and blushing slightly.

They stood there for a few moments with their arms around each other, each of the women appreciating the moment for what it was and committing it to memory. After a minute or two, though, Anna grew restless, and her smile widened as the impish gleam Elsa knew so well appeared. "Oh, hey, look," Anna said, peering over Elsa's shoulder, "I think I still see some snow over there."

"There's no more snow," Elsa stated evenly, knowing where this was going.

"No, really, there is," Anna protested, even though she couldn't quite keep the smirk off her face.

"No, there's not," Elsa contradicted, shaking her head. "You're horrible at lying and I know when there's snow around. If you want to kiss me, just kiss me."

"Okay," Anna replied, using the hands she still had wrapped around the back of Elsa's neck to bring Elsa's mouth to her own.

With Anna no longer surprised and Elsa no longer using the kiss for snow removal, their second kiss became much more intense much more quickly than their first one had. All of the sensations that Elsa had experienced in her more erotic dreams about Anna were even more intense, and the unabashed lust for Elsa that Anna had reigned in due to their friendship was completely set free. Their bodies pressed closer and hands started to wander, but just as Elsa was about to see if reality was as good as her dreams, a large horn sounded from the direction of the Campus, freezing them both and breaking off their kiss.

"Shit," Anna cursed, trying to catch her breath.

"That's probably my doing," Elsa said, equally breathless and disappointed. "I destroyed the cameras and with the cameras out, they want the Campus on lockdown."

"We could just stay here," Anna offered.

"And get arrested for something as trivial as a lockdown violation?" Elsa asked. "No thanks. When I get arrested, it will be for something big."

Anna chuckled in spite of her annoyance. "No, Master, with who you are, that wouldn't suit you," she agreed. "Should we head back?"

"We have to," Elsa sighed.

They let go of each other, but as they turned to cross the construction site, Anna recaptured one of Elsa's hands and intertwined their fingers. Elsa looked at her curiously, but Anna just smiled broadly. Shaking her head, but smiling anyway, Elsa let Anna have possession and hand-in-hand they walked back towards the Campus.

The closer they got, though, the more the guilt began to weigh on Anna. Elsa had revealed a big part of herself tonight, and Anna knew that it was only because of the trust that they had built up over the last few months. Though they were not at quite the same level as being the Ice Queen, Anna did have secrets of her own and she had guarded them. Now, keeping her secrets seemed like a violation of that trust, and Anna decided that she wanted to keep the trust intact more than her secrets. Spilling her guts would be a risk, of course, but with whom she now knew Elsa to be, it might just be okay.

Elsa glanced at Anna in concern. Anna was being much too quiet and it worried her, especially after all that had happened between them that night. "Is everything okay, Apprentice?" she asked, switching back to their formal titles now that they were back on Campus.

"No, Master," Anna admitted.

"Then what can I do to help?" Elsa inquired.

"With everything that you've told me tonight, there are things I need to tell you," Anna said quietly. "Would you be willing to come over to my quarters and just listen to me talk for a while?"

"Sure, because that would be so different from what I usually do," Elsa said wryly, trying to use humor to cover up how apprehensive she was about how Anna was acting and what her open-book Apprentice could possibly be hiding.

"Thank you," Anna replied, before perking up. "Wait. Was that an actual joke?" she asked, her humor returning just a bit. Elsa just smiled and shrugged. "I love you, Master," Anna said gratefully, hugging her unexpectedly as they reached her building and turned toward her quarters. Elsa hugged her back, and the rest of the journey was made in silence.

Now seated comfortably on Anna's couch, Elsa waited patiently for the information that Anna was obviously terrified yet compelled to tell her. Anna looked at Elsa nervously and began. "I guess I could start with what happened before I met you tonight," Anna said. "You noticed all the messages from me, right?" Elsa nodded, wanting to let Anna keep speaking. "Well, when you didn't respond, I got worried and I went to your quarters to check on you. When you didn't answer and I could hear your cuff chiming through the door, I used my code to get in because I was sure that you were in trouble. That's when I saw your cuff lying on the dresser, which completely freaked me out. Then, I heard a noise in the ceiling and freaked out some more, so I ended up hiding in your closet. From that closet I saw everything that happened when you got home and that led me to the conclusion that you were the Ice Queen," she concluded.

Elsa looked at her, and if it had been anyone but Anna, the story would have been completely implausible and Elsa would have thought Anna was trying to invade her privacy. But, her Apprentice had just the right mix of good intentions, impulse control problems and general awkwardness for the scenario to have worked. "So you knew who I was when you came to the construction site?" she asked.

"I was pretty sure, yes," Anna admitted. "But I told you I was coming before I figured it out." She looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Elsa; I was just worried about you. I never meant to invade your privacy and I really never meant to find out what you didn't want me to know," she said contritely.

"Except that I did want you to know, and I invited you to the construction site to tell you," Elsa pointed out. "So I can't really see why this is such a big deal. It might have been yesterday, but not tonight, not now. And what did I tell you about apologizing?" she chided.

"Learn from your mistakes, don't repeat them, but never ever apologize," Anna recited.

Elsa smiled. "Very nice," Elsa complimented her. "I do appreciate you telling me, though, Anna," she said.

That had gone much better than expected, Anna mused, but tonight's little escapade was not the main thing she had needed to tell Elsa about. "Um, it's no problem, Master, but there's something else," she said reluctantly.

"Okay," Elsa prompted, wondering what else Anna might be hiding.

Anna looked at her, took about thirty seconds to debate a thousand different ways to say what she needed to say before she just blurted it out as simply as she could. "Um, I'm a spy and I told my Leader that I knew who the Ice Queen was," she confessed, flopping down on the other end of the couch in relief now that she had confessed.

Elsa looked at her, processed the information and looked at her again, keeping her face expressionless. "Could you repeat that please?" she requested politely.

"I'm a spy and I told my Leader that I knew who the Ice Queen was?" Anna repeated.

"That's what I thought I heard," Elsa sighed, as the evening got even stranger. "Could you elaborate or is that all the information I get?"

"What do you want to know?" Anna asked, a little more cheerful now that Elsa just seemed interested, not mad or accusing.

"Well, who are you a spy for, for starters? What or whom are you spying on?" were the first questions. Elsa considered that last question and her eyes narrowed as she looked at Anna. "Me, since you've already told them about me?" she accused softly.

"No, no, no, no, no," Anna said emphatically. "I was never spying on you. Never. And I didn't tell her who you were, just that _I _knew who you were. I was never supposed to know anything about you. You actually kind of derailed my mission because I started spending so much time with you and I wasn't doing my spy stuff," she admitted sheepishly. "Leader was giving me a hard time about it at our last meeting, and the girls were teasing me because they knew it was because I had completely fallen for you."

"So who is 'Leader'? Who do you work for?" Elsa asked, still not sure how she felt about all this.

"Um, well, we don't have an official name, but I think you would call us 'the Rebellion' or 'the Resistance', or something like that," Anna answered. "Basically, we are a group of Plebes who detest the current State and want to do everything in our power to bring its downfall. We have infiltrated every single thread and are currently gathering information in preparation for the hopefully peaceful but probably not takeover of the government."

"And how do you fit into this?" Elsa asked, relieved that Anna wasn't a spy for the State. At least they were both on the same side.

"Well, after I took the test and passed, and Leader knew that I was going to remain Plebian, she made sure I would end up in Architecture because it was the one thread that we had no one assigned to. I had the drawing talents, but not the math, so she had Hacker break in to tweak the results. She also had me assigned to you, because you had such a reputation for working alone that she thought you would ignore me and I could gather the information I needed to," Anna explained.

"Which was?" Elsa questioned.

"Building blueprints and tech specs, mostly. Also anything else that would help us break into buildings," Anna responded. "But like I said, you were an awesome Master and wouldn't leave me alone, and I started liking Architecture and got distracted by all the pretty, so this whole thing hasn't quite worked out like Leader intended."

"Who is Leader, if you can tell me?" Elsa asked, mainly out of curiosity.

"She's the Master Librarian at the Campus library," Anna replied, figuring there was no point in keeping any secrets now.

"I know her," Elsa stated, after realizing who it had to be. "I've met her from time to time at State functions. She's a beauty but she's a funny girl. She's even odder than I am, if that's possible." She looked at Anna as a thought occurred to her. "Wait. Isn't she also Leader of the Philosophy Club?" she questioned.

"One and the same," Anna confirmed, blushing in embarrassment.

"Meaning this entire time I've been running myself ragged to make sure you could make it to your spy meetings," Elsa concluded.

"It's a social group, too!" Anna protested weakly.

Elsa shook her head in bemusement. "So you're a spy. The most honest, candid person that I have ever met in this fucked-up place is a spy," she said with a touch of resignation.

"I never lied to you," Anna countered quietly. "Like you said before, I'm a horrible liar, and you read me so well that it would have been pointless to try to lie to you anyway. Sure, I left a few things out, but then so did you. The woman that I thought was the model Plebe is an Extraordinary that goes around viciously destroying government property every chance she gets."

Elsa considered that and realized Anna had a point. "You're right," she admitted. "We've been keeping a lot of things from each other, including the fact that we're in love with each other. So, where do we go from here?"

"Well, as of right now, I don't have any more secrets to tell," Anna shrugged. "And all I really want to do is keep being your best friend and Apprentice." Anna tried to stop them, but her eyes filled up with tears anyway. "If that's not possible, though, I understand. I'm used to being alone," she mumbled.

Elsa hated to see Anna sad because it was so opposite to her true nature. She scooted over to Anna's side of the couch and wrapped her up in a hug. "Quit being stupid," she ordered gruffly, even as she felt Anna's tears soak through her shirt. "You couldn't stop being my Apprentice without a formal complaint and a hearing anyway," she pointed out dryly.

Hearing the implicit humor in her statement, Anna looked up. "Was that another joke?" she asked, sniffling as a watery smile came to her face.

"I don't know," Elsa admitted. "Was it actually funny?"

"It made me feel better," Anna answered.

"Then, yes, it was," Elsa decided, tightening her grip on Anna and kissing her forehead.

Anna returned the hug with fervor. "You're amazing," she mumbled into Elsa's chest.

"So are you," Elsa replied affectionately. Elsa really didn't know how, but Anna had become such a part of her life that, spy or no, Elsa couldn't even think of living without her. And when Anna had started crying at the thought of being alone again, well, the Ice Queen's frozen heart had melted into a puddle, and her decision was easy.

Elsa propped her back up against the couch arm and Anna snuggled into her, neither woman speaking, the both of them spent by the emotional upheaval of the evening. Anna's breathing began to even out, and within minutes, she had fallen asleep. Elsa looked at her. "A spy and a saboteur; what a pair we turned out to be," she whispered wryly, before kissing the top of Anna's head and falling asleep herself.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

A darker-skinned woman stirred at the sound of the emergency alert from her cuff, blinking as she tried to wake up and focus. She peered sleepily at the cuff and sighed when she saw who it was. "Good morning, Leader," she drawled in an accent made thicker by sleep. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company at such an early hour?"

"Voodoo Queen, good," Leader said over the speaker. "I'm glad that you answered. Ginger contacted me last night and said that she had managed to uncover the identity of the Ice Queen and that she was going to attempt communication with her. I haven't heard from her since, she's not answering my calls and her cuff tracks her to her quarters. Since you and Debutante are closest, I want you guys to go check up on her."

"Of course, Leader," the woman said, knowing it was important if Leader was this concerned. "We'll get going right away. Voodoo Queen out." She rolled over and kissed the smooth, creamy-white shoulder of the person lying beside her who was already awake and half-listening. "Come on, sugar. Leader says we have to go rescue Ginger," she nudged.

"What kind of trouble has that girl gotten herself into now?" the blonde mumbled.

"She's apparently found the Ice Queen," her bedmate informed her.

"Ginger found the Ice Queen? _Our_ Ginger?" the blonde reiterated, incredulous.

"Yes, and apparently Leader hasn't heard from her in a while and she is afraid for her safety, so we have to go, Lottie," Tiana told her, rising from the bed in search of clothes.

"But Tia honey, I'm comfortable," Lottie protested, throwing the covers over her head petulantly.

Tiana sighed indulgently before peeling the sheet back. "I promise I'll make it up to you," she offered.

"I am only getting up if that promise involves you and a couple-dozen of your woman-catching beignets," Lottie informed her, a saucy grin coming to her face.

"Anything for my Debutante," Tiana assured her with a smile of her own.

"Then, my beloved Voodoo Queen, I am all yours. And Leader's and Ginger's, I guess," Lottie added after a moment's thought.

Tiana chuckled, dragging her out of bed. They gathered up their clothes and put them on, with Lottie stopping to admire herself before they went. "Do I look beautiful?" she asked playfully.

Tiana's eyes warmed looking at the woman whom she had loved before she even really knew what love was. "Gorgeous," she said truthfully.

"Psht, Big Daddy always said you were a charmer," Lottie said, duly charmed.

"And my Momma always said you were nothing but trouble," Tiana countered with a smirk.

"You know, I've _always_ liked your Momma," Lottie said with a wink, and Tiana chuckled as they left their quarters.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Anna stirred a bit, waking slightly, and she shifted herself to get into a more comfortable position. The back of the couch prevented her, though, and she woke up a little more when she realized this wasn't her bed. A few more seconds of consciousness brought back memories of the evening before, and she realized who she might be sleeping on top of. That woke her up in a hurry, but when a quick inspection yielded nothing but the couch underneath her, she slumped back on the cushions, still a little disoriented by sleep and confused as to where Elsa was or why she might have left. Just then, though, the glorious smell of coffee, bacon and what could possibly be pancakes or waffles wafted in from the kitchen, and Anna's eyes popped open as she tumbled off the couch.

"Good morning, Anna," Elsa chuckled from her place at the stove.

"That smells wonderful," Anna said, taking in a noseful. She made a move towards the kitchen before realizing the bathroom might be a better destination. "Um, I'll be right back."

"Breakfast isn't for another 10 minutes or so," Elsa assured her. Anna nodded and dashed from the room.

As Elsa continued with her breakfast prep, a chime from the front door indicated that someone was there. She glanced at the bedroom, but figuring Anna might not be ready for company, she went to see who it was herself. She looked at the inside viewscreen and the two ladies on the other side looked harmless enough, so she pushed the button to open the door. "May I help you?" she asked evenly.

Tiana and Lottie looked at the striking woman who had opened the door and was casually inspecting them with piercing blue eyes. Tiana looked at Lottie and then up above the door. She was sure that they had the right unit number, but this obviously was not Ginger, and her bare feet and apron indicated the woman that had answered was supposed to be here. Tiana was also sure that she had seen the woman before. Nevertheless, thinking they had made a mistake, Tiana started to apologize. "I'm very sorry, ma'am," she apologized. "We thought that this was our friend's unit, and we were just stopping by to see her."

"It's okay; I don't really live here," Elsa said quickly, seeing the mortification on their faces at their supposed mistake. "This is my Apprentice's unit."

At the word "Apprentice", everything clicked for Tiana. "Of course. That's where I know you from; you're her Master, the Architect," she realized.

"That would be me, yes," Elsa confirmed. "My Apprentice is getting ready right now, but you two are welcome to come in and wait."

Tiana hesitated, but Lottie was not going anywhere without finding out all she could about this interesting situation. "Thank you, Master; that would be lovely," she said, speaking for the first time, careful to use the honorific of Master because she and Tiana were merely Thinkers and Elsa outranked them.

Elsa nodded and moved aside to let them in. "Please have a seat," she offered. "I'll go see if my Apprentice is ready," She went to the kitchen to briefly check on breakfast before heading to the bedroom. Tiana and Lottie looked at one another knowingly, shrugged and sat back to wait for Ginger.

As all this was going on, Anna freshened up a bit in her bathroom. She took care of the necessities before looking in the mirror and realizing her hair needed some work. She also wanted to kiss Elsa properly and there was no way Anna was going to subject her to her morning dog breath, so a teeth brushing soon followed. As Anna was brushing her teeth, she noticed her cuff blinking furiously, and after seeing who it was and spitting out her mouthful of toothpaste and water, she answered it.

"Good Morning, Leader!" she chirped, wiping off her mouth with her hand towel.

"Ginger! Where in the Pillars have you been? Why weren't you answering your cuff?" Leader demanded loudly.

"Um, I was in my quarters and I was asleep?" Anna offered meekly, hearing how upset Leader was.

Leader took a short, calming huff that was so loud Anna could hear it though the voice-only connection. "Are you okay?" Leader asked in a more normal tone of voice.

"I'm fine," Anna replied quickly.

"And what happened with the Ice Queen? Where is she?" Leader questioned.

"Um, she showed me her powers and they were spectacular," Anna answered. "And right now she is my kitchen making breakfast. I think she's making pancakes! Or waffles!" Anna finished excitedly.

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. "And why is she in your kitchen making breakfast?" Leader asked, knowing there was a vital piece of information she was missing here.

"Because she's amazing," Anna said with a love-struck grin that Leader couldn't see. "And she's an excellent cook."

"Who's an excellent cook?" Elsa asked as poked her head into the room. "Who are you talking to?" Anna pointed at her wrist, and Elsa nodded. "There are some friends of yours here to see you," she added in a low voice.

"Really?" Anna asked. Elsa nodded and headed back to the kitchen. "I've got to go, Leader. There are people here."

"I know; I asked them to check up on you because I couldn't get a hold of you," Leader replied curtly.

"Aw, you do care. I promise I'm all right," Anna promised her. "Anyway, breakfast is waiting. Talk to you later, Leader. Bye." She cut off the call, knowing she would get scolded for it later but not caring when she had a living room with actual, real live people and actual, real live breakfast. She exited her bedroom, glanced in the living room to see who was there and headed straight for the kitchen. Elsa turned towards her, her hands full of things to put on the table, when Anna surprised her by kissing her deeply. "I brushed my teeth, just for that," Anna murmured happily when they separated.

"Thank you for your courtesy," Elsa said wryly. "And thank you for the kiss. But, your friends are still on the couch and you need to take these to the table." She handed off a platter of bacon and pancakes to Anna who brought them to the table before going into the living room.

"Good morning!" she said perkily to her two friends sitting on the couch.

"So it would seem," Lottie said with a sly grin, and Tiana chuckled.

Anna blushed. "Um, yeah," she agreed, grinning self-effacingly even as she tried to stop blushing.

"Since my Apprentice seems to have forgotten her manners, would you two like to stay for breakfast?" Elsa inquired, as she put the coffee pot and juice pitcher on the table and came into the living room.

"I was getting to that, Master," Anna huffed. "Speaking of manners, have you guys been formally introduced?" she asked. At a round of head shakes, Anna did the honors. "Master, this is…" she began.

"Voodoo Queen and Debutante, unless I miss my guess," Elsa finished for her, a smile on her face at the all of the other ladies' surprise. "She talks _a lot_ about Philosophy Club," she explained.

"She talks a lot period," Lottie teased. At Elsa's slight chuckle and Anna's glare, Lottie cleared her throat and moved on. "We are very pleased to make your acquaintance, Master, and we would love to stay for breakfast, but now that we know your Apprentice is in good hands, we have more pressing matters to attend to." She stood up and Tiana did the same. They headed towards the door and Anna gave each one of them a hug as the door opened.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Anna said sincerely. "It means a lot that you did that just for me."

"We love you, you know that, Ginger," Tiana said, hugging her back. She and Lottie stepped through the doorway and Anna smiled at them as the door slid shut.

"Well, it looks like Ginger finally got her wish," Lottie said gleefully.

"It does," Tiana agreed with a smile. "But Leader said she was with, you know," she said, not saying the name out loud for fear of surveillance, "and we find her this morning with her Master. Does that mean that her Master is, you know?"

Lottie's eyes widened at the possibility before chuckling. "Well if she is, and if she decides to join Philosophy Club, Leader will be singing hallelujah from the top of her lungs," Lottie predicted.

"That she will be," Tiana agreed. "Come on, sugar; we have to get to work," she reminded Lottie as they picked up their pace towards their quarters.

"So," Elsa began as they settled down to breakfast, "what was all that about?"

"Leader –who was the person I was bragging about your cooking to, by the way– was worried that I wasn't answering my cuff," Anna explained, piling bacon and pancakes onto her plate. "She sent them to make sure I was all right."

"Probably because you told her you knew who the Ice Queen was," Elsa pointed out. "She was worried about you."

"I know, I know, but with everything that happened last night, I forgot," Anna admitted.

"I can see it," Elsa said, before changing the subject. "Now eat your breakfast; we do have to get to work at some point today," she ordered good-naturedly.

Anna grinned. "Yes, Master," she said, squirting syrup on her pancakes and digging in. After a few bites, though, she paused. "Are we all right?" she asked plaintively. "I know I'm not who you thought I was, I know I've screwed up badly, and I know you have a lot reasons including your own safety to never trust me again. Are you really ok with all of this?"

Elsa smiled at the echo of her own words from the previous night. "I spent a lot of the night asking myself the same thing," she admitted. "But, when I asked _you_ those words, you said yes without hesitation, and I know that you meant it. So, even though I have no idea what the future holds, and with everything that we both are, the future isn't bright, my answer is yes. If you are willing to love the Ice Queen when that could mean your death, then I am willing to love a spy when that could mean my own."

"I promise I won't keep anything more from you, Elsa," Anna swore, relieved. "And I will never, ever, betray you."

"I know, Anna, I know," Elsa assured her. "And I will do everything in my power to protect you." She got up from her side of the table and came around to Anna, reaching down to kiss her, to let her know that they truly were all right. When they parted, she kissed Anna's forehead and couldn't resist pointing out one thing. "You taste like syrup," she stated.

"And you taste like coffee," Anna rejoined giddily as she attacked her breakfast with vigor. Elsa picked up her own fork, leaving them in companionable silence until breakfast was finished.


End file.
